As Max sat in the social worker’s office in a chair next to Dean, he felt all his resolve slowly unwinding. The Alpha reached for his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze that calmed him instantly. The fact that the Alpha held such sway over his emotions was intimidating in its own right, but it wasn’t the same as it had been with Chris, who controlled by exerting his will over everyone else’s. It was something else entirely, something organic that Max couldn’t fully wrap his head around. It was the kind of vaguely pleasant mystery he was in no hurry to solve.

“There’s nothing to worry about,” Dean promised, leaning in. “Other than, you know, making it look convincing.”

“Right.” The omega swallowed hard. Pretending like he was attracted to Dean wasn’t exactly a challenge, but he knew what the risk would be if anyone caught on that their engagement was a farce. The plan was for Dean to claim he’d imprinted on Max, and while the omega knew that was the only explanation for the quick progression of events that the court couldn’t look down on, he couldn’t help but feel guilty.

And unnerved. What if Dean really did imprint on another omega one day? It had happened before, and it rarely worked out well for the original omega in the equation. He told himself that if Dean did find someone else—and how could he not?—he would bow out of the way as graciously as the Alpha had stepped up on his behalf.

“Good morning,” Henrietta said, walking into the conference room. Dean and Max both stood to greet her, and while her handshake was as warm as her smile, Max knew the beta was assessing him. It was her job, and despite the fact that it had him on the verge of a panic attack, he was grateful for all she’d done for his son. “It’s so good to finally meet you, Mr. Redding.”

“Max, please,” he said, sitting back down. “And likewise. I’m happy I finally get the chance to thank you for everything you’ve done for Gavin.”

“He’s a wonderful boy,” she said with a soft smile. “I’m not really supposed to play favorites, but if I did… Truth be told, we’re all just relieved to learn that you’ve been looking for him as earnestly as he’s been looking for you, and saddened to learn the circumstances of your separation in the first place.”

“Thank you,” Max said quietly. “It’s been a long road, but I’m hopeful now that we’re finally together again. I think Gavin is, too.”

“I’m sure,” Henrietta said, glancing down at the papers on her desk. “But of course, these things are never as black and white as we’d like them to be. I’m sorry to say this, Max, but your past does raise some red flags where the court is concerned.”

“I understand,” he said, straightening his spine. “But my past is behind me, and it’s going to stay there now that Chris is in prison.”

“That’s certainly a good start, but it’s going to take more than that to convince the court that you have a stable home environment to bring Gavin into. From what I understand, you only recently started working for Roman Enterprises, and to go back home with you, Max would have to be pulled out of school and taken away from all of his friends.”

“They’re both going to move in with me,” Dean cut in. “Max is on a leave of absence from his job while he recovers from the incident, and when he’s ready to go back, the company is open to transferring him down here. Gavin won’t have to miss as much as a day of school, and he’s already been staying with me, so there’s no need to worry about the stress of the move.”

Max gave the Alpha a grateful smile. His nerves had started to get the best of him, but Dean spoke with such calm authority that he somehow knew everything was going to be alright. Even Henrietta seemed reassured.

“Well, it’s clear you’ve both thought this through, and I can certainly agree that it would be better for Gavin to have some stability through the holidays, at the very least.” She hesitated. “I’d like to take things on a step-by-step basis, considering all that’s happened in the last week. Consider the next month a trial to give you all time to adjust, especially Gavin. I want to check in with him once a week, and we’ll reconvene after the new year, alright?”

“Okay,” Max said eagerly. It wasn’t the set-in-stone arrangement he’d hoped for, but Chris had left their lives in pieces and he knew it would take time to put them all back together. “Thank you.”

“Thank you for your time,” Dean said, standing to shake her hand again. “We’ll stay in touch.

“Please do,” Henrietta said, walking them toward the door. “And congratulations, you two. I have to admit, when I found out you’d imprinted, it explained a lot,” she said, her eyes dancing with amusement as she eyed the Alpha.

Dean gave a nervous laugh. “Yeah. It was love at first sight.”

Henrietta seemed to be thinking about something she wasn’t sure she wanted to say. “I really shouldn’t mention this, but purely off the record… It would be easier to prove that there’s a stable home environment if there was a commitment involved.”

“Dean proposed,” Max said, holding up his left hand.

“A more permanent commitment,” she said pointedly, “accidentally” brushing the left side of her neck. “I’ve never heard of a case where the state awarded custody to an unmated couple when a more stable family was willing to adopt, regardless of biological ties.”

“We’ll uh, keep that in mind,” Dean promised. “Thanks.”

Max’s face was still burning by the time they made it out onto the street. The idea of wearing Dean’s mark wasn’t nearly as alarming as it should have been, but that didn’t mean the Alpha would feel the same way. A fake engagement was one thing, but a mark? That was forever.

“That went well,” Dean said once they’d made it out to his truck.

“Yeah, it did. I still don’t know how I’m going to repay you for any of this,” Max admitted.

“You could let me take you to dinner,” the Alpha said with a lopsided grin that made Max’s heart flop. “We should talk about you moving in, anyway.”

“Okay,” Max said weakly. It had been years since he’d been on an actual date, and by the time he found himself sitting across from Dean at a table in an upscale restaurant, he realized he had no more clue what to do now than he had then.

“So,” Dean began once their meals arrived. “It’s really up to you how we handle this. Gavin’s already staying in my guest room, but there’s another one I’ve been using as kind of a home office that I could clear out and get some furniture in.”

“I don’t want you to go to any more trouble because of me,” Max said earnestly.

“Well, the other option is us both sharing my room,” Dean said. “Might be better for the sake of the uh, arrangement and all.”

“Yeah,” Max said, a bit too eagerly. “I was thinking the same thing.”

“So it’s settled, then. You can move in tonight, if you want.”

Max nodded. “Um, there’s still the matter of the other thing Henrietta mentioned…”

“The mark?” Dean’s tone was stiff, like he wasn’t anymore certain as to how to approach the subject than Max was. “Yeah, I’ve been meaning to talk about that, too.”

“I just don’t want you to feel pressured,” Max began. “You’ve already done so much, and I’d never ask you to do anything that would compromise your chances of finding something else one day, if this doesn’t work out.”

To Max’s surprise, Dean reached across the table to take his hand. “However this ended up happening, I’m all in, Max. And I very much plan for it to work out. The only thing holding me back is not wanting you to feel pressured into anything like you did with Chris.”

“There is absolutely nothing about you or this situation that reminds me of Chris in any way,” Max assured him, needing the Alpha to know where he stood.

Max wasn’t quite sure how to identify the look in the Alpha’s eyes, but he recognized the heat it stirred up in his core. Dean was everything an omega could ask for in an Alpha. He was strong, selfless, kind, and the intensity in those dark brown eyes was nothing shy of erotic. Any omega would be proud to wear his mark, and Max found his thoughts fixating on the idea of it.

Dean’s gaze softened as his fingers brushed the back of Max’s hand. “How about tonight, then?” he asked in a husky voice that made Max shiver. “Gavin can stay with my mom while we move your things in.”

“Okay,” Max said, his breath caught in his throat. The conversation turned to more casual topics, like Dean’s work schedule and the family’s plans for Christmas, but Max’s thoughts were fixed on the night ahead.

Dean was going to mark him. He should have been terrified, but all he could feel was the same need that had risen up inside of him the moment the Alpha had suggested it.